DTC GT5 Astroid Plus Review

We almost lost track of time when we received the supposed 2nd iteration of the GT3 Astroid, the GT5 Astroid Plus. Suddenly, we’re going to review yet another Gingerbread device in the time when all people talk about Ice Cream Sandwich and Key Lime Pie. And then, it struck us – the GT5 Astroid Plus may have been using the old Android OS, but it performs and behaves just like the other Android phones we’ve reviewed – expensive or inexpensive.

The FORM

DTC GT5 Astroid Plus look is not exactly different. You’ll notice that GT5 is like a Galaxy Nexus because of its 3 capacitive buttons located at the bottom. At the top, you will see the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the micro USB port while the power button is located at the right side. The volume rockers are located at the left side and you’ll see the 2 megapixel camera and the speakers at the back. There is no built-in flash so you will have to bring a halogen lamp when taking pictures in low-light environment.

You will also notice that the screen is just made from plastic but it just makes sense for a phone less than 3,000 bucks. Pictures look better on its 3.5″ Capacitive display (hVGA) compared to the GT3 Astroid. Just for your reference, its screen is bigger compared to the non-Android DTC GT2 but has the same screen size with the DTC GT3 Astroid. Everything from the outside feature is basically made from hard plastic.

UNDER THE HOOD

The DTC GT5 Astroid Plus offers the usual features of a phone Android Gingerbread! The GT5 has a MTK6515 processor and clocked at 1 Ghz and has a 256 MB of RAM. It’s way below the norm – 512mb – but it’s just fine for a Gingerbread device. It would have been a lot better if put it 512mb RAM though.

The DTC GT5 Astroid Plus scored 1451 on Quadrant. That’s quite a letdown as it’s even slower than the Nexus S and 300% slower than the HTC One X. But, this does not mean that it’s bad and not worth your money. Remember, this phone is positioned as one of the cheapest locally branded Android phones out there.

I felt like it would not be complete in testing this phone out without playing any games.Unfortunately, the accelerometer of this phone is wonky. Playing Temple Run 2 was pointless. But we assume that this is a hardware bug and hopefully they update this as soon as possible. We have already contacted DTC Mobile regarding this issue.

The GT5 also has a 2 megapixel camera, which make it useful to capture your profile picture for Facebook or to capture your dinner using Instagram.

The lack of 3G does have a negative point for this smartphone however, if you are always using WiFi, then this should not be a big issue.

The VERDICT

Well, the GT5 Astroid Plus offers a variety of good features: 2 megapixel camera, decent quality, Dual Sim/Dual Standby, Capacitive Touchscreen — with a reasonable price of Php 2,998.00. Sure, its OS, no 3G and the accelerometer issue we had are quite annoying. But given its SRP, such shortcomings are forgivable. This is an entry-level Android device, positioned for those who wish to try the OS and the experience it offers to those who have a tight budget. Besides, as most smartphones are really underutilized, I bet that you wouldn’t minding owning this one if you’re going to use it primarily for texting and calling.

From the scale of 1 to 10 – 10 being the highest – we are giving it a 5.5.

Check out the Full Specifications here:

Band: Dual Band: 900 / 1800Mhz

CPU: MTK6515 1GHz

OS: Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread)

SIM: Dual SIM/Dual Stanby

ROM/RAM: 512mb /256mb

Display: 3.5 inch HVGA LCD 320×480 (capacitive)

Camera: Main Camera: 2 megapixels

Bluetooth: Bluetooth version 2

FM Radio: FM 88 – 108Mhz

GPRS/WAP: GPRS Class 12 / WAP

WIFI: 802.11b/g

GPS with A-GPS: A-GPS

Sensor: Light sensor / Proximity sensor

Media protocol: MP3/AMR/MIDI/WMA/AAC/MP4/MPEG4/H.264

Micro SD: 32GB

Charger: 5 micro pin USB Charger

Earphone:3.5mm jack Earphone

USB Cable:5 micro pin USB Cable

Battery:1500mAh

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Gianfranco is the co-founder of GadgetPilipinas.net. He graduated from Far Eastern University. A Psychology student turned tech-savvy. He's currently the HR Supervisor of Blip Media and one of the content producers of Gadget Pilipinas. He enjoys playing competitive video games and binge-watch American TV series.